Dexter: "It's Alive!" Advance Review

The serial killer is back, and trying to deal with some inner turmoil.

He's back. It's been about ten months, but finally, Dexter is here to kill again. If he can just get the chance to do it that is

As "It's Alive!" begins, it's been just a few weeks since the conclusion of Season 1, and it's been a trying time for Dexter. Doakes, now more suspicious of Dexter than ever, has been constantly following Dexter around, and the result is Dexter hasn't had the freedom or time to kill someone, which is starting to really get to him. Meanwhile, he's had to take his normal guy routine further than ever, by joining a bowling team no less. Teamed with Maskua and Angel, this is a witty setting for our anti-hero, whose team is (of course) called Bowl Till You Bleed.

But when Dexter finally gets his chance to kill his latest evil target, something goes wrong, filling Dexter with unease and doubt in a way he's never experienced before. And unease is the name of the game for the Morgan siblings, because Deb is a mess, which is understandable, given what happened with her and Rudy last season. Deb has been staying with Dexter, which is an uncomfortable situation for him. Meanwhile she works out incessantly and can barely sleep. As one might expect, this doesn't put her in exactly the best emotional place when she returns to work during the course of the episode.

As for Dexter's relationship with Rita, things seem to be going well, but Dexter's issues and the lingering shadow of Paul, imprisoned though he may be, soon cause more problems in Dexter's life. And no, that shoe Rita found has not been forgotten Laguerta meanwhile is still trying to deal with her demotion and being the one taking orders instead of giving them - Unfortunately, the scene at the end of Season 2 that hinted that this storyline would go in a bit of a different direction than usual doesn't seem to be playing out that way here and a scene where Laguerta overhears Lt. Pasquale in the midst of a very private conversation seems just a bit contrived.

Dexter's biggest problem is its own success and going into Season 2 having to follow up such a great first season. Season 1 told such a complete story that it's hard to think what could happen next that could be as engaging as the Ice Truck Killer story. However, by the end of the episode, that question has been answered in a very intriguing way, with the beginning of a storyline that raises the stakes for Dexter considerably.

Along the way, the season premiere is a solid episode, albeit with some problems. Always the most arch character on the show, Doakes is rapidly crossing the line into being just ridiculous. We're meant to believe that he has, quite literally, been following Dexter every single night for weeks now. Really? Doakes has nothing else to do? He'd be this obvious in the way he watches Dexter, sitting and glowering at him in plain sight? Not only is it bordering on harassment, but it also obviously insures that unless he's a complete idiot -- and of course he's not -- Dexter won't do anything criminal while Doakes is standing around. He's been portrayed a smart cop in the past, but Doakes' "investigation" around Dexter is just silly. Doakes being so suspicious of Dexter is a compelling idea, but its execution needs a lot of work.

Much better is the look at how Dexter and Debra have been damaged and affected by Rudy and what the reveal of his true identity and subsequent death did to them, albeit in very different ways and for very different reasons. Dexter wants to prove himself, and as a result, targets a gang member responsible for numerous deaths. This gang member turns out to be one of the most formidable and visually amusing foes Dexter has ever faced; a beast of a man who would look at home in a WWE ring, portrayed by former NFL player Matthew J. Willig. Dexter's quest to take this guy downs leads to a very tense and affective sequence between the two. Deb in the meanwhile is holding back on some dangerously volatile feelings, which threaten to overtake her at the worst possible times.

The flashbacks this episode to young Dexter and Harry are well done, and have a nice payoff by the conclusion of "It's Alive." The elements are certainly here for another great season of this very unique show. Let's just hope that the Doakes situation and the Laguerta subplot can get on a bit more solid ground.